Page 86 (1/2)

“But—”

“No buts Whoever he was to you, you should forget hio home ”

“But I love him ”

The et about your young o ”

He pushes her with a firmness that makes her stumble sideways In the old days perhaps such a shove would be rude, but now it is a kindness, a reminder that this is no place to stand and cry “Thank you, sir,” she says quietly as she moves away from him

Tears sting her eyes and she wipes the when she looks up and sees a wavery i beneath a darkened streetlamp

From here, it looks like Sasha, with his unruly hair and broad s jawline Even as she picks up her pace, she tells herself she is being a fool, that he is gone and fro men will re A split second before he begins to move toward her, she knows this is notoward her

“Vera,” he says, pulling her into his ar her so deeply she has to push him away to breathe

“You waited all day?”

“A day? You think that is all I would wait?” He pulls her close

Together they cross the street The Royal Theater rises up froar confection, its roof adorned with a lyre and crown A queue is beginning to for the sidewalk Vera notices how beautifully the people are dressed—in furs and jewels and white gloves

Sasha takes her around to a door in the back of the theater She follows hiht of stairs

They skirt the main hall and slip into a private box

Vera stares across the darkened hall in awe, seeing the gilt decor and crystal chandeliers In this box—obviously being repaired—even the tools and disarray can’t hide the exquisite detail Plush mohair seats line the box’s front; in the back, tucked in the shadows, is an ottoside it, she hears the doors open below her, and well-dressed patrons stream into the theater The buzz of conversation rises to the rafters

She turns to Sasha “We have to leave I do not belong here ”